


Right Place Wrong Time

by wibbilywobbilycombatwombat



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's, Game Theory - Fandom, Random Encounters - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom, natewantstobattle
Genre: F/M, FNAF musical, Fluff, Little bit of PTSD, More romance-y with Nate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-10-02 09:32:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10214630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wibbilywobbilycombatwombat/pseuds/wibbilywobbilycombatwombat
Summary: Basically a rehashing of the Random Encounters FNAF musical with a girl thrown in. Excuse the repeated dialogue from the video.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one's gonna be in first person ("I" used instead of "you" in regards to reader) because it's easier for me to write. Since it is written on paper using first person, I'm worried about messing up, so just gonna do this the easy way. Hope that's ok and doesn't mess up the reading experience. 
> 
> Yeah I KNOW it's a little late to be posting anything five nights related, but just because it's irrelevant doesn't mean ideas can't come out of it. Although this has been sitting on my floor for a while... Anyway, try to enjoy, because it's not REALLY about five nights, now is it? It's inspired by something inspired by FNAF, and mixes "lore" from both, so it's pretty far off by now. But if you like FNAF still, and these other fandoms, then it's your lucky day.

It was a warm night as I walked to the store. Many people would say that it was dangerous for a woman to go out by herself after dark, but I wasn't one of them. After all, I fought like a girl; an angry girl, who kept pepper spray on her person. It was quiet as I walked, empty grocery bag in hand, from yellow circle to yellow circle cast by streetlights. I waited for the light to turn, then started across the crosswalk. I heard a large truck coming from the other way, but a car going way too fast nearly flattened me. It swerved as the truck honked, and I narrowly avoided becoming roadkill by either vehicle as I leapt onto the sidewalk. Had that guy been on the PHONE? What a jackass. I stared at where the car had sped off to, not moving and trying to catch my breath. My heart pounded. Jesus, he could've killed me. Someone else in the car had yelled, and if they hadn't, I would be dead. Oddly, I didn't remember seeing anyone else in the car. It had almost looked like- no. That was a ridiculous thought. What was he, an uber driver for a bunch of puppets? I laughed quietly. It would have been funnier if no one had died in Fazbear's, the kids' place beside my apartment complex. Though the idea of robot hit-and-run was infinitely funnier than the actual murders. Maybe this was why no one left their house after midnight. Me, being the insomniac I was, realized I needed milk and decided to head out to the 24hour cornerstone. I always knew insomnia would be the death of me. I continued on my way, much more careful than before.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This timeline might be a little off. Write it off as creative licence.

Milk, bag of chips, and bar of chocolate in bag, I headed back to my apartment. I held a newspaper. I'd heard of the incident a night ago, of course. I'd heard the gunshots and watched the police drag a security guard out of the building from my window. I'd also glimpsed what I'd assumed was a trick of the eye, but was concrete on paper. A small block of text on the third page read "Shooting at Freddy's: Criminal Escaped". It also said that the janitor who was shot was in stable condition but not much else. Freddy's was secretive as frick, with reason, with their record. I was taking the shortcut to my building across the pizzerias' parking lot, trying not to think about the attempted murder, and the guy still being on the loose, possibly still around the building... Halfway across the parking lot, a car sped into it and screeched to a halt not two meters in front of me. 

"Holy fuck!" I yelled as I jumped back, glaring at the driver. No.. no. No. The driver... Was the same guy from earlier who'd almost straight up flattened me. And the passenger looked like.. No, it couldn't be. Besides, the convict had brown hair, this guys' hair was clearly a lovely bright shade of red. "You!" I yelled, pointing at the driver. He was turning off the car, not bothering to park properly, and everyone was getting out in a hurry. 

"Look lady, I'm really sorry, but we're in a hurry-" He said. I wasn't listening. I was gaping. He followed my gaze to the... Other passengers. They were not human. They were very familiar, walking, talking, terrifying, robots. The driver stiffened. 

"Oh, um, shit, if you could just forget you saw this-" 

"We don't have time for this!" The red-haired man snapped. 

"But she-" 

"Ugh!" The red-haired guy grabbed my arm and started to drag me along. 

"Stop it! She's not a part of this!" The driver yelled. 

"Whoa wait stop!" I protested, fumbling with my pocket. 

"We don't want your-" Driver shook his head, assuming I was getting my wallet, "-Shit! Mark, she's got-" 

Red man screamed as I pepper sprayed him, his hands flying to his face and letting go of me. 

"Calm down! Ok? Please..." Driver said, holding up his hands as I turned to him, pepper spray wielded. "Look, I'm Nate. That's Mark, and, of course, Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy." Mark was doubled over. 

"You aren't nearly as threatening as he is." I laughed nervously, lowering the can. 

"You need to get out of here. Shit's going down." Nate warned, lowering his hands. 

"That might be my problem. I live in this territory." 

"Ok, well, you just need to get away from Freddy Fazbear's." Nate had fear in his eyes. He was desperate for me to leave. 

"I always try to avoid it-" 

"Hey!" The animatronics protested. 

"But you're in way over your head." I smiled. 

"What makes you say that?" Nate asked, offended. 

"Well, I'm just saying, the whole staff couldn't get ole' Freddy's jaw off a kids head, why would two pretty boys make a difference in whatever the fuck is going on?" 

"I'm getting mixed signals!" Mark groaned. Nate blushed, and shook his head. 

"We're wasting time. There's an evil anamatronic on a killing spree, and we need to stop him." 

"Why didn't you just say so?" I asked, tossing my bag of groceries into the bushes. 

"I didn't say you could help!" Nate said. 

"Too bad. " 

Nate groaned but took Marks' arm and rushed towards the building, then held the door out to me. Once in the office, Nate explained his plan while I poked at the kids drawings. 

"Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, you need to get the fire extinguishers. Mark, you'll spring the trap. I'll do the computer stuff. And um, you, stand there and look good." I let out a huff of laughter. 

"Sure, guy-who-almost-ran-me-over-twice. And it's (Y/N)." 

"Ok, (Y/N). Stand there, look good, and if you feel so inclined, write your phone number for me here." He tapped a paper on the desk. 

"Let's just see how this goes." I shook my head, but smiled a bit. 

"Can't blame a guy for trying." Mark added.

"I will blame you for dying though." 

"Good point." Nate said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's where the repeated dialogue is. I cut some out, and in the process it makes less sense, but just go watch the super cut if you haven't already, this part hasn't changed much from the musical.

Chica stumbled into the room, extinguisher in hand, pursued by what I assumed was Spring Trap. The thing looked gross, feral, more disturbing than the animatronics I'd already met. Chica dropped the canister, which rolled away to be caught by Nate's foot, Mark sprung the trap, and the extinguisher Nate pointed at the flailing Spring Trap... backfired. I was almost too freaked out by the growling green thing to notice anything else, but it was hard to miss the boys being covered in white powder. 

"Well that didn't go as planned." Nate wheezed. I was about to say that they probably shouldn't be inhaling that stuff, but I noticed a figure detach itself from the shadows and raise a weapon over its head. 

"Oh fuck no." I growled, and pepper sprayed the unknown figure. Since he was wearing a hood, he didn't get the full intended dose, but it was enough to stun him. 

"Who the heck are you?" He demanded, pulling his purple hood back. 

"An angry female who's nearly died multiple times tonight," I slapped his weapon, a fire extinguisher, out of his hands, "Tread carefully." It was pretty suspicious that he had the tool we'd been searching for, almost like he was trying to thwart us. 

"Purple guy!" Mark identified him. 

"Oh shit." I looked at Mark, "Purple guy?" That was the nickname they'd given the murderer on the news. If this was who Mark thought he was, he had killed children, purposefully and without remorse. 

"This didn't go as planned." Purple guy muttered, "Release my murder gremlin!" 

"Your murder gremlin?" 

"Well, he was only meant to scare you, but he gets carried away." 

"What was even the point of all this?" Nate asked. 

"Wait." Mark said, staring into the distance, probably remembering something crucial, "He's just doing this to get more hours!" 

I was very lost. 

"Yeah, and I would have gotten away with it, if they hadn't hired you shmucks for the night shift!" 

Maybe this wasn't the same guy who'd killed kids and stuffed their lifeless bodies into robotic shells. 

"You can't legally work that many hours!" Nate protested. 

"You can't legally let stinky animatronics bite children either. This whole place isn't really 'legal'." 

"Look, I didn't even want this job!" Nate said. This whole situation seemed much more domestic than I'd anticipated. 

"And I'm kinda wanted for attempted murder." Mark said. Never mind. It was not domestic. 

"Oh shit it WAS you!" I yelled. 

"(Y/N), please." Nate put his hand to his forehead. 

"No, I wasn't sure 'cause the red hair and- I-I should have seen that coming. I should have realized. Sorry. Carry on." 

"So you're just letting me have the night shift?" Purple guy gave me a confused look, and looked at Mark and Nate. 

"As long as these guys have someone to stay up all night with." Nate said, walking over to Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. 

"Wow, that was way easier than my plan to make you quit. I still don't know who you are though, or why you're here." Purple guy gestured to me. 

"Neither do we." Mark said. 

"That all worked out. Weird." Bonnie said. 

Then the phone rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda useless doing a cliffhanger when the story's already been told, huh?


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello? Oh hey, congrats, You guys managed to survive five nights at Freddy's. That's pretty awesome." A voice, live on voicemail, came through the phone. Mark and Nate looked at eachother; clearly they'd heard this voice before. "Unfortunately, that wasn't really part of my plan. See, I thought you'd turn on eachother. But you didn't." The exit slammed shut. I looked to they guys for some explanation, but they looked about as shocked as I was. "So now I have to drop by the office-" Suddenly, something on the other side of the wall started hacking away at it, breaking through the wall with a chainsaw, until a living bear suit burst into the room and stood proudly. It took off its mask. "-To finish the job." 

"Would somebody tell me what's going on?" Mark asked. I was wondering the same. Hell, I didn't know anyone in this room, and only half of them by name. Why did I drag myself into this? 

"Why, this is a crime scene! And you're the victims." The man laughed, a cruel sound that made you want to hide. 

"Who are you?" Nate asked. 

"I'm your employer, Nate! I go by many names; Phone Guy, Matpat, Scott Cawthon." 

"Is one of them evil dirtbag with a chainsaw?" Purple guy asked. 

"Why, yes." The evil dirtbag stabbed Purple guy in the chest with his chainsaw, "Actually," His voice dropped to a whisper, "That one's my favourite." He pulled the chainsaw out, tearing through flesh and bone, and Purple guy fell to the floor, his blood splattering the killer. I gaped, vocal chords failing to produce sound. 

"You're going to burn for this." Mark snarled. 

"Cool." He said, "Looks like I brought the right tool for the job then." He lifted the chainsaw and flames leapt out of it. Regaining sound, I shrieked and leapt back, bumping Mark, who pushed me behind him. The phone guy looked at me as if for the first time. "Sorry- (Y/N), was it? I wasn't expecting you." He stepped closer. Nate stiffened and stepped to Mark's side. Mark stood square in front of me. Even though he was still holding back Spring trap, he looked like he was about to punch the chainsaw out of the guy's hands rather than let him closer. I wouldn't want to be up against him, but then again, I didn't want to be against chainsaw guy either. "One of your friends?" He asked, smiling in a twisted way as he looked between Mark and Nate. There was something off about his eyes. Something I would have expected to see in Purple guys eyes, something snapped and raw. 

"Leave them alone!" Freddy yelled. I'd forgotten the animatronics were here. The bear jumped to our rescue. Phone guy punted him across the room and Freddy smacked into the wall behind Nate. 

"You should have taken my advice that first night, Mark. Or none of us would be here." He smiled at me as I looked over Marks' shoulder, "Especially you." I flinched, then turned to look at the door. It was super locked. 

"Don't be afraid." Mark said as if he were quoting something, in an almost mocking tone. 

"They just want to say hi!" Phone guy put his mask back on. 

"Not all of them." Mark said, and released Spring Trap. The green monster attacked, maybe pissed Phone guy had killed its owner. He screamed and tried to fight back, but the chainsaw flamethrower was useless when the threat was at his throat. The flames he produced in panic licked the walls and smoke lifted onto the air. Fight-y and Flight-y, I hit the door control and it broke, making the door open. These mechanisms seemed like a real safety hazard, but I guess doors didn't even make the danger-list here. 

"C'mon. " Nate said. He gently pushed me out the door. Oddly enough I resisted, not able to look away from the horror I was witnessing. Mark gingerly lifted Freddy and walked out with the other animatronics. Nate paused with me. The phone guy managed to chop off Spring Traps' head, but the thing attacked him still. As awful a thought as it was, I hoped they both died in the fire he was making. I stood frozen, wondering why, until Nate looked away, took my arm and led me out. 

-~-

 

"Well shit." I said as we watched the flames rise from the relative safety of the parking lot. I backed up, then raised my hand, trying to gauge the distance from the fire to my building. "That's not safe." I frowned. I could still hear the phone guys screams when it got quiet. "Which one of you can I go home with?" In hindsight, that sounded really forward, but none of us were in any state to think that way. 

"How about we all head back to my apartment?" Nate offered. I bent into the bushes and found the bag of groceries I'd thrown there earlier. I retrieved the bag of chips. 

"Great. See, I would have chosen the non-official-attempted-murderer, but I also want the story behind the attempted murder, so this covers my bases." I said. 

"Great." Nate chuckled. 

"Shouldn't you get stuff from your apartment? You know, in case it burns down. And the sleepover. You'll need clothes for the sleepover." Mark said. 

"Yep. Let's go." 

There were a few people gathered outside, watching the fire, and in the odd quiet crowd, it was easy to get up to my room. I grabbed a handful of clothes and shoved them into a duffel bag. 

"Hey." Mark said with a hint of humour, "When's the last time you wore this?" I turned and found him holding up a piece of lingerie that had been draped over a chair.

"Last week, tried it on for fun." I said, then held out my hand and took it. Nate was holding the other piece to it and was stretching the waistband experimentally. I took it from him and shoved both pieces into the bag. 

"What?" I said to their smirks and raised eyebrows, "These things are expensive." I emptied my bras and underwear into the bag, lastly pulling out a pair of underwear with a cat face on the butt. 

"Aww!" Nate cooed loudly. It was really more of a shout, but it had the same effect as a coo. I blushed. 

"I know. It's crazy. The way tonight has been, I'll probably model them at some point." I grinned and waved then before putting them into the bag and zipping it up. When we got outside, the cops had gathered. Though we probably should have come forward and introduced ourselves and explained, it was three in the morning. If they recovered any security tapes, they could find us, but we didn't really break any laws. Except leaving the scene of a crime, probably, and I pointed that out as I got into Nates' car. Funny that only a few hours earlier, this car had almost killed me, now I was collapsing into the backseat like a marathon runner crossing the finish line. 

"Probably not important." Mark murmured, climbing in beside me. I don't know why we put animatronics in the passenger seat instead of a living human, but in our state we were lucky we didn't let one of them drive.


	5. Chapter 5

I was still kinda weirded out by the animatronics being, well, alive. And they were nocturnal, which seemed like a problem, because we were exhausted and they were as responsible as three year olds. It wasn't much stranger than me having a sleepover with two guys I'd met a few hours earlier, but a lot had happened to cause that. I had no idea why the animatronics were alive. As soon as we closed the door behind us, we stood and stared at eachother. I burst out laughing first. It was probably shock, probably a coping mechanism, but Mark and Nate joined in. I was surprised I had to hold back tears. The guys washed their faces while I waited for use of the bathroom. I pulled out pyjama bottoms and an oversized T shirt from my bag. I hadn't noticed the blood splattered on me. That has once made up a living human. That person was now dead. Mark and Nate walked back in to find me sitting on the couch and staring down at my shirt. Mark went straight for his bag, which we'd picked up at our short stop at his apartment. Nate paused in the doorway, eyes locked on me. 

"Are... are you hurt?" He asked, eyes scanning me. 

"Mentally, physically, or emotionally?" 

"Physically. For now." 

"I don't... think so?" I said, poking at various parts of my body. I'd heard somewhere that sometimes you don't feel the pain of injury when you're in shock. 

"Well, go check. I don't want you bleeding out on my couch." He smiled. I stood and he led me to the bathroom. I closed the door and dumped my clean clothes on the counter before stripping and fully checking myself for injury. Physically, I was fine. Not a scratch or burn. I got dressed. But I was shaking. I'd almost been run over. Twice. I'd pepper prayed two guys, more than I had used it in five years. I'd met friendly living robots, and a murderous undead robot. I'd watched someone die. Tears started streaming down my face. I let them, for a minute. I'd never had tears come so fast before. I dried them as best I could, pulled out my phone, and texted a few friends to tell them I was staying at a friends' house because of the fire. I just needed to let someone know where I was, even without the details of who or why. It wasn't that I was scared to be with Nate and Mark, or suspicious of them. I just wanted something normal, something that made sense.  
I checked my eyes in the mirror; a little red, but I opened the door. 

 

-~-

"So I shot him, three rounds straight to the guys' chest. Only when he fell did I realize he was not in fact Foxy, but a janitor. And then, well, the cops showed up and thought I was crazy, but then didn't lock the car, so I got away." Mark finished, "And that's the story of how I killed a man." 

"Almost killed a man, "Nate corrected, "He's in stable condition." I held Marks' hand in mine as I painted his nails. I was sitting cross-legged on the couch sideways with Nate behind me, his back leaned on mine. Every so often he would lean his head back on my shoulder and I would catch the smell of his hair. We all must have smelled smokey, so that was the predominant smell, but there were underlying clean tones that were oddly comforting. We had thought sleeping at this late hour would be easy. We'd been wrong. We tried not to talk about what had happened or remind each other, but we couldn't stop ourselves from thinking.   
When Nate asked if we were tired, Mark responded that he saw Spring Trap when he closed his eyes. Nate had tried to look at me but I'd avoided his gaze. I didn't want to admit that often when I closed my eyes I saw Purple guy get stabbed and torn apart, and I heard the screams of phone guy or Matpat or whoever that maniac had been. I'm sure Nate had his own nightmare, but he was obviously more used to the gore than we were. He'd said something about working at Freddy's a while ago. I can't imagine what he saw. I finished painting Marks' nails with a sigh, and leaned back on Nates' shoulder. He did the same and pressed the side of his head to mine. I let myself close my eyes. Somehow the human contact kept the horrors from replaying themselves behind my eyelids. 

"Should we try to sleep?" I asked. 

"Yes. Um..." Nate said, "I guess you'd like the couch, and Mark and I can share my bed." 

"Please don't make me sleep alone." I murmured. I was embarrassed to say it but I was too terrified not to. Mark pulled me into a hug. 

"It's ok. It's over. " He murmured. I clutched at his shirt and hid my face. Nate wrapped his arms around us both. Group hug? 

"How about we all share the bed then? Might be a bit cramped but--" 

"Yes." Mark and I immediately said. When we got up, Mark wiped his eyes, and the three of us crawled into Nates' bed. Yes, it was cramped, but at least we could sleep without too much horror.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up beside a snoring Mark, and Nate was staring at the ceiling. I sighed and shifted, and his gaze flicked over to me. 

"Guess it wasn't a dream, huh?" I laughed quietly, sadly.

"I know it's rough. I wish I could tell you you'll get over it, but you'll never forget." His eyes clouded, " You'll wake up some nights and hear the screaming. See the blood like it's on your hands. And you'll never know why." I squeezed his arm, bringing his attention back from the far-off place he'd been staring into. 

"I wouldn't usually ask something like this, " I said slowly, "But is it ok if I cuddle you a bit?" Nate glanced at Mark, but the other man was still asleep. He turned to me and held his arms out. I shuffled into his embrace, trying not to make too much noise or movement. 

"Did you sleep?" He asked, arms wrapped around me. 

"Surprisingly, yeah. Did you?" 

"Yeah." We fell into a comfortable silence.  
"You know, I still didn't get your phone number." He finally murmured. 

"Remind me when we get up." I giggled. I don't know how long we lay there, clutching at eachother as Mark snored. Nate was trying to be tough, but he was holding on too tightly to be ok. 

"I ship it." A cartoonish voice suddenly said. The silence ended at that. I pushed away from Nate as if hugging was scandalous, and Mark woke up from the sudden movement and noise. 

"Bonnie, I told you to knock." Nate snapped at the purple animatronic. 

"But if we'd knocked you would've known we were watching!" Chica said. My face reddened and my eyes widened as the puppets wandered into the room. I pulled a pillow over my head. 

"Chica! Don't tell them that!" Freddy cried out. 

"Wha's going on?" Mark mumbled. 

"Nothing! Nothing's going on!" Nate said, glaring at the colourful robots. He got out of bed and disappeared into the hallway. I heard Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy follow him excitedly. I pulled the pillow off my head and blinked at the ceiling. 

"Good morning?" Mark asked. 

"Good morning." I said, turning to face him. 

"You doing ok?" He asked, eyes soft. 

I laughed in response. He let out a huff of laughter. 

"Yeah, me too." He said. I ruffled his hair. Mark scrunched up his face but didn't really seem offended. When had I gotten to a point where I could cuddle with someone who'd almost killed me twice, and ruffle the hair of an attempted murderer like it was normal? It seemed like they were nice people --and easy on the eyes *cough cough*-- who had just been in a bad situation. But it was over now. Hopefully. I rolled out of bed. Mark followed, and we found Nate trying to tell the bots they couldn't cook. He looked relieved when we walked in. The bots were a reminder that it was not, in fact, over. We couldn't just sell them off. None of us could put up with living with them. We'd have to go back, and return them. And there'd be questions. We agreed to go out for breakfast, then return the animatronics, then go our separate ways. Not permanently, as we all swapped contact info. And winks. And the words "oh boy." 

 

-~-

Fortunately, questioning wasn't too long. Fortunately, my apartment building was still standing. Unfortunately, that meant I was not staying at Nates' for another night. I'd have to sleep alone, if that was possible now. Stuck in my own head. I didn't want to be alone. 

"Thanks, again. For everything." I said, standing in that same parking lot this had started in. 

"No problem. Besides, you're the one who got yourself into this." 

"Ha, I know." A sense of profound regret gripped me. I'd need a distraction when I got in. 

"Hugs for the killer?" Mark held his arms out. 

"Almost killer." I said, and jumped into his arms. He chuckled. "Take care of yourself, Mark." He nodded and let me go. I looked at Nate and paused. 

"Well, anyway." He laughed awkwardly. I pounced. "Oof!" He laughed, gladly hugging back. 

"Hugs for the other almost-killer too." I said. 

"I said I was sorry..." 

"And I forgive you. But I won't forget." He squeezed me then let go. "Alright. See ya, sweeties." I waved, and went home.


	7. Chapter 7

It had become routine to have sleepovers every month. This month was at Mark's, who I got a "come outside" text from, as he'd wanted to walk me over. Backpack over my shoulder, I hurried down the stairs. I smiled as I saw Mark and Nate leaning on the building, arms linked. Nate saw me first and started to walk over, but some guy walking past shoulder-checked him and muttered "f*ggot". I knew the shock and anger on my face was unveiled. I could hardly believe I'd heard that at all 

"What did he just call you?" I snarled. 

"(Y/N), relax. It's not a big deal. "

"I called him a f*ggot. Got a problem?" The guy smirked, all urgency in his walk forgotten as he turned toward me. 

"Oh, because that's just a fun little insult for you, huh? Because ha ha, gay people suck. Yeah there's a problem!" 

"Hey, I'm just stating the obvious. He was holding hands with that other guy."

'That doesn't change the fact that it's a derogatory term." Almost in sync, Mark put hand on my tensed shoulder, and Nate touched my wrist. 

"(Y/N), please. He's not worth it." Mark said. 

"What is?" I sighed, slumping my shoulders and letting them steer me away. I tensed again, hearing the guy mutter "yeah honey, leave it to the men," but Mark and Nate (predominantly Mark) kept me moving forward. He kept his hand on my shoulder longer than necessary, but I appreciated the gesture, and he patted my back once we had a good distance from the conflict. Past the halfway mark to Mark's', I got startled by a seagull that swooped by in front of us. I felt a hand gently touch my back, and turned to Nate. Mark would have owned it, but Nate was a little more shy. I took his arm and hugged it to my chest. He smiled, cheeks pink, and as I looked at him I found something in my peripheral vision. I stiffened. 

"He's following us." I whispered, looking ahead. 

"What?" Mark asked, voice edged with panic. He looked behind us, then looked ahead. "Should we go into a store or something?" 

"What if he waits?" I squeezed Nate's arm tighter. 

"It's not just 'he'. There's another guy with him."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence." Nate offered. We walked on in silence. 

Then someone stepped on the back of my shoe. I was scared to look back. Sure, I had two relatively muscular guys with me, but I'd also had them at Freddy's, and I'd almost died there. 

"-f*gs' girlfriend-" I heard him say. i stopped, crossed my arms, and turned to face him. 

"I suppose that's me, in your terms." I said coldly. Nate stood beside me, face unreadable, while Mark puffed up to twice his size. 

"Does your girlfriend always stand up for you? Even when you're cheating on her with a dude?" The guy asked. 

"She's not my girlfriend." Nate said quietly as he shrank back. 

"Jealous? No girl would have your back." I said, surprised at my own bravado. 

"What do you want?" Mark snapped at the two guys. One of them stepped up to Mark, puffing out his chest. 

"Oh fuck off." I stepped closer, meaning to intervene, but the other guy shoved me back. I smacked into Nate, who caught me, but seemed unsure of whether to step back to give me space or hold his ground. 

"Should I put this in terms you'll understand?" I was shaking. Nate moved to my side, reaching for my shoulder. I could practically feel him mentally willing me to stop egging the guy on, as the guy circled me. I kept myself facing him, and continued talking. "Your dick is small." The guy punched me, knocking my head into the brick wall he'd backed me into. I stumbled to the ground. Nate was knelt beside me in a heartbeat, taking my arm and trying to help me to my feet. Mark punched the guy, keeping his fists raised. The guy that Mark had been occupied with before pulled a knife. Though dizzy, I managed a scream just as Nate yelled. He got me to my feet as Mark broke away from the attackers. We ran, and I stumbled, but neither of them let me fall behind. We ran until we were inside Mark's apartment. Nate stopped and pulled me into a hug as Mark locked the door. He put one hand on my head and held my face to his chest. We were both breathing heavy. He pulled his hand away from my head. I looked up at him, and found his frown turn into a gape. 

"Oh fuck. Fuck.' He said. His hand was covered in blood. I touched my head and my fingers came away bloody. "Mark!" Nate snapped. Mark came over and swore. Nate held my waist and brought me to the bathroom. He sat me down on the toilet cover while Mark paced in the hall. 

"Should we go to the hospital?"

"I don't know. I don't know. Just let me see how bad it is." Nate grabbed a few towels and stationed himself in front of me, dabbing delicately at my head. Mark hurried around grabbing things and slamming cupboards. I winced. 

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay. Look at me." Nate held a towel to my head and put his hand on my cheek. "Don't pay attention to him, he's stupid. Are you okay? How are you feeling?" I put my hand over his and nodded. Mark set a bottle of rubbing alcohol onto the counter, now trying to be quiet.

"I'm... thirsty,"

"Fuck yeah you are. Mark?" Mark had already disappeared at the request for water, and reappeared moments later, pressing a water bottle into my free hand. 

'How many fingers am I holding up?" Mark asked as I sipped from the bottle. 

"Four." 

"That's good." Nate pulled away the towel. I turned to look for the flash of red, but he pushed my face away, and gave the towel to Mark, who kept it balled up. 

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. How about now? Better? No? Dizzy?" I shook my head. He wet a towel under the sink and dabbed at my injury. I winced again. Mark hovered over him, then stepped back with a relieved sigh. 

"I'll get out of your way now, call me if you need anything. I'll be in the kitchen." He said, and left the room. Nate kept his hand on my cheek, and I kept mine over his. I giggled. His eyes darted to mine, an unspoken 'what?' 

"You're cute with your sleeves rolled up." 

"Oh no, you're delusional." He rolled his eyes, face turning pink. 

"The whole doctor act is a real turn on." 

"You're broken. Hush." The pink in his cheeks made way for red. I pouted. He applied rubbing alcohol to the towel and then to my head, putting his hand back on my cheek. 

"Fuck, man." I winced. 

"Maybe later." He muttered. I grinned stupidly. 

"I don't think Markimoo would like that," I said, "Nurse Nate." He gave me a mildly horrified look, though at which remark I couldn't say. I took another sip of water and put the bottle in my lap. I put my hand on his face. He looked at me and smiled. 

"Does it hurt?" 

"It's a bit sore. I'll live."

"Probably." He nodded. 

"Is Mark okay? Are you okay?" I asked. 

"He's fine. His pride though..." Nate tsked, shaking his head. I ran my hand over his jaw. "I'm fine. I didn't get my face smashed into a wall." 

"Oh no. Am I still beautiful?" I asked jokingly, pulling an unattractive face. Nate's previously amused expression sobered. 

"Of course." He put his hand over mine on his face. He leaned in toward me and leaned his forehead against mine. "Please don't go starting any more fights."

"No guarantee." 

"Guess I should expect that. At least not for my sake. Just cause someone calls me a bad word doesn't mean you have to go get beat up."

"Ugh, fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it obvious I'm a little salty about a certain slur being used copiously? 
> 
> That's all I got for now, might be a while before next update.


	8. Chapter 8

"I don't think you're concussed." Nate announced. 

"Thanks for the diagnosis, Doctor Nathan." I rolled my eyes. Both him and Mark had thoroughly interrogated me on the matter through google searches on the symptoms of concussions. I was on the couch, leaning on Mark, whose arm was stretched over the back of the couch. He squinted at my head, still searching for injury. Skull fragments, probably. I booped his nose and he scrunched up his face. Nate, standing a few feet away, crossed his arms. 

"Um, you're welcome." 

"Do you want painkiller or something? How do you feel?" Mark asked. 

"No thanks. I'm ok. But I feel like dirt." 

"Take a shower then." Mark shrugged, "Wash away those dirtbags." 

"That's probably a good idea." 

"Is it though?" Nate asked, "What if you pass out?" 

"We would hear it." Mark chuckled, "Besides, would you rather shower with her to make sure?" In unison, both mine and Nate's faces flushed. I leaned away from Mark and Nate took a step back. 

"We... we might not hear it." Nate said quietly, scratching the back of his head. 

"Nate, sweetheart, why don't you wait in the bathroom while I shower? We could talk, and you'd be right there if I passed out." I said. 

"You're ok with that?" Nate asked hesitantly. I gave him a once-over. He blushed more. 

"You've had plenty of chances to look in on me through all these sleep overs. You're hardly a pervert." I said, standing up. 

"If you're sure." Nate said softly. Mark laughed. 

"If you fuck in my flat you better clean up your mess." 

"Mark!" I yelled, glaring at him as my face went red. Nate made an uncomfortable face. Mark held up his arms defensively. 

"If you fuck in the shower there's no clean up! I'd reccomend that." 

"Shut the fuck up!" I told him, "We were just in a traumatic experience, stop talking about sex!" He only laughed harder. Nate took my hand gently, sighing. 

"Come on, before he can say more." 

"Use protection! There's some in the second drawer!" Mark giggled as Nate and I walked to the bathroom. 

"What a dingus." I murmured, and stopped Nate outside the bathroom, "Im gonna get undressed and into the shower, and then I'll call you in. Are you ok?" I giggled at his red face. 

"Of course. Whatever." He said, and I closed the door. After turning on the water and stripping, I stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed. 

"Nate, we Gucci." I said. I heard him enter, and the door close. "Oh, in need of privacy, I see." I commented. 

"You're as much as an ass as Mark." Nate sighed. My heart pounded. I hadn't expected to be so antsy over hearing his voice, and knowing he was in the same room, while I was naked. Of course, I trusted him entirely, but Mark's comments... I had to get my mind out of the gutter. Easier said than done. 

"I am not. But hey, if you get bored you can go snooping for his condoms." 

"Jesus." I knew he was shaking his head as I winced at the hot water hitting the cut in my head. "Clearly I'm the least perverted one here." 

"Maybe this was a bad idea." I said. 

"What's wrong?" His breath caught, "Should I leave?" 

"No- It just stings." 

"Are you ok?" He asked, some form of hesitation in his voice. It was probably that he wanted to make sure I was ok himself, but didn't want to invade my privacy. 

"Yeah, I'll just have to keep my head dry." 

Usually I hated men's soap, but I liked how Mark's smelled, and was happy to use it. I giggled. "I'm gonna smell like Mark." 

"I don't know if that's possible." Nate chuckled, his voice much calmer than before. 

"Anything is possible." I said, and heard a drawer open. 

"Like Mark being way too optimistic with his quantity of condoms." 

"I mean yeah, obviously. Better safe than pregnant with STDs, right?" I shrugged, "And I thought you weren't gonna look?" 

"Might as well, as I'm here. Oh yeah, forgot about that." He said, rummaging around, "He keeps a box of pads in case you need them." 

"Aw, really? That's so sweet. You guys are the best." 

I could hear the slight huff of a laugh that I could only assume was accompanied by a smile. 

"Well, I'm just about done." I said, turning off the water. 

"Ok, I'll just, uh, go..." 

"Nah man. Just close your eyes." 

"You trust me sooo much." 

"Should I not?" 

"No, I mean, you should, but just... wow, you're really cool." He said. I smiled. 

"Thanks. Ok, close your eyes." I said, and looked out from the curtain. He was leaned against the counter, eyes shut, holding up a towel with both hands. I stepped out of the shower and into the towel. His breath caught as I put my hands over his and wrapped the towel around myself. He opened his eyes wide. I giggled, and hugged him, relying on him to hold up the towel, his arms around my waist. He gripped it, knuckles brushing my damp skin. 

"Thanks for making sure I didn't die in the shower. Would've been real awkward if you and Mark found my naked corpse." 

"No problem." He murmured. I took back my towel. His hands fell to his sides. 

"You can totally say no... but can I kiss your cheek?" I asked, my face warming up. 

"Yeah." He smiled. I kissed his cheek, feeling his skin heat up against my lips. He was grinning like an idiot when I stepped back, and it was infectious. 

"Mark's gonna make fun of us, isn't he?" 

"You know it. Wouldn't be a sleepover at Mark's without innuendo." Nate said brightly.


	9. Chapter 9

"No, I work Sunday. Can you guys do Tuesday instead?"  
"I'm busy Tuesday." Nate shook his head.  
"Even late?"  
"Even late."  
Mark sighed from his square of the Skype chat.  
"We can skip a month, right? We'll get together the first week next month."  
"We had a good streak." Nate said.  
"Okay, okay. Next month, first week, promise?" I sighed.  
"Promise. I've got to go," Nate said, "I need to be out of town soon."  
"When are you back?" I asked.  
"Two days."  
"Okay. Talk to you later." I said.  
"Bye," Mark said, and Nate disappeared. "Unless you've got something to talk about I should get going too."  
"No, I'm good. Go ahead."  
"Okay, but just because we're not meeting up doesn't mean we're not here. If you need something you can come to me."  
"Okay Mark, thanks. I appreciate it." I smiled.  
"No problem. Buh-bye!"  
"Byeee!" 

~•~

 

I was wasting my time on instagram the day after the Skype call. Nothing had really happened today, which was my downfall I guess. Some worried, panicked feeling blossomed in the back of my mind and I became aware of my heart beating irregularly. I begged my mind to stop, trying to assure myself I wasn't in danger, and tried to breathe deeply but my lungs wouldn't comply. I gasped in short breaths, my chest heaving. Trouble breathing sprouted more panic, sprouted more trouble breathing, sprouted more panic. I sat on the floor and tried to think of ways to calm myself down. My brain wouldn't process this request. I clutched at my thigh, my nails digging in. My hand flew to my mouth as I realized what I was doing and I made the concious effort not to hurt myself. I grabbed my phone before I could change my mind. I shakily typed out a message. Mark: I'm having a panic attack, please help.  
I closed my eyes and tilted my head towards the ceiling, choking back the nagging feeling that he would get mad, that I was bothering him and he didn't care.  
He responded in thirty seconds.  
-What can I do?  
-Just talk to me, don't leave me to my own thoughts.  
-I can pick you up in 8 minutes, is that ok?  
-Please. 

"Are you okay?" Mark asked as I got into his car.  
"Yeah."  
"Did something happen?" He searched my eyes.  
"No, it's just a routine mental breakdown thing." I smiled sadly. He reached over and gently squeezed my shoulder, then started the car. A few minutes passed in silence.  
"Thank you."  
"No problem." He said.  
Somewhere between making pancakes at three pm and lying on the floor listening to music (mainly Ed Sheeran because Mark wouldn't shut up about him), Nate texted me.  
-Hey, what's up?  
-Just chilling at Mark's  
-ouch. My feelings. How could you do this  
-idk man I was having some destructive thoughts and though I shouldn't be alone to think about them  
For a minute he didn't respond, and when he did it seemed the little 'he's typing' icon had been waiting there too long for how much he said.  
-I'm sorry I'm not there.  
I realized it was the only thing I wanted him to say.  
-It's ok :) I'm doing fine now  
-I have to go now. I'll be back tomorrow, and we can hang out whenever. I hope you'll get to feeling better than fine soon (CAUSE GIRL YOU ARE) Talk to you later.  
-Thanks Nate, talk to you later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow hi it's been a while cause I'm an uninspired little dingus but one more chapter is done after this so look forward to it


	10. Chapter 10

I looked up from my laptop as I heard the door buzzer go off. I got up, discarding the blanket that lay across my legs, and pressed the button. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey girl how you doin?" Nate asked. I bit back a smile. 

"Hey sweet thing, I'm doing well. You wanna come up?" 

"Yeah, you gonna let me?" 

"Mm, might as well." I heard the front door click and buzz through the speaker. I opened my door and stood in the hallway with my foot in the doorway. Nate stepped out of the elevator after a minute and grinned when he saw me. 

"Aw, couldn't wait to see me," He teased. I pulled him into a hug. "I thought I was joking," He murmured as he wrapped me in his arms, "Is something wrong?" I shook my head. 

"I missed you." I sighed quietly. 

"Couldn't stand being alone with Mark?" 

"Hush, you." I kissed his cheek and stepped back. He took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. I led him back into my apartment. Nate closed the door behind him and dropped his bag on the floor. 

"Have you heard from Mark?" He asked. 

"No, I kinda expected him to come with you." 

"He's probably just running late," He glanced around, "Um, so what do you want to do?" 

"Heck man, I don't know," I flopped down on the couch. Nate sat beside me and I turned to sit cross legged facing him. I carded my fingers through his hair. He sighed and leaned back on my shoulder, pulling his feet up onto the couch in front of him. I leaned my cheek on his head. "Oh boy." I murmured. 

"Oh B O I." Nate responded, and made himself go limp. He flopped onto the back of the couch and slid down until his head rested in my lap, all while saying "oh boy" in different inflections and while I laughed. He crossed his ankles over the opposite armrest. I ran my thumbs over his cheeks and my fingers over his jaw as he looked up at me. I smoothed his hair away from his face before delving my fingers into his hair. His eyes slowly drifted closed. The buzzer for the door went off, and when I looked up at the clock, 8 minutes had passed. Nate groaned and reached for my hand. I squeezed his hand. 

"I'm sorry Nate, I have to." 

He stubbornly didn't move. I lifted his head and got up. "Hello?" 

"It me." Mark's voice came through the speaker. 

"Okay, Mark, come on up." I opened the door and shoved a shoe into my doorway to keep the door open. 

"Come here." Nate smiled. He'd sat up and now leaned half on the backrest and half on the armrest. I walked over. He took my hand and tried pulling me onto the couch. I laughed. 

"Is this what you want Mark to walk in on?" 

Nate just chuckled and and placed his free hand on my waist, pulling me in. I giggled and climbed onto the couch, fitting one knee between him and the back of the couch and the other carefully between his legs. I let him pull me on top of him. I rested my head on his chest, my hands on his shoulders, his arms settled around me. With his arms around me I felt calm, like I belonged. The door suddenly opened and Mark entered, kicking the makeshift doorstop aside. 

"Hey, sorry I'm late, I-" He paused as he saw Nate and I and he grinned, "Okay I'm not sorry I'm late if it means THIS happened. It's about goddamn time." He chuckled. Nate and I blushed. At this moment one of my neighbours peeked into my apartment as Mark stood with the door open. 

"You better keep the noise down!" The neighbor barked. Surprised, I fell right off of Nate faster than gravity could have predicted. He came tumbling down as well and landed on the floor beside me. 

"Chill, we'll be quiet." Mark told them, shut the door, and burst out laughing. "Are you guys okay?"


End file.
